Making a MARK with K-Pop fest headlined by Sandara Park, hip-hop party

The demand for live music is at an all-time high among Filipinos post-pandemic as international acts like Coldplay, Post Malone, Sam Smith, and K-pop girl group Twice are set to have their concerts in Manila and Bulacan in the coming months.

As these concerts are usually held in the Greater Manila Area, this puts Cebuanos at a disadvantage as they have to spend on other logistical factors such as travel and accommodation to see their favorite artists perform. This is where the newly-established company MARK (Multiple, Arrangement, Role Model, and K-pop) Entertainment and Events comes in as it attempts to make Cebu a potential stop for international acts.

During an August 8 press conference at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, CEO Kim Jaekyun shared that while bringing K-pop acts to Cebu is one of their main plans, they also want to get national acts from Manila to the province as well as highlight Cebuano artists. Expansions to Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia and the USA are also being eyed.

Awake - K-pop Festival

MARK’s first event is the K-pop festival concert “Awake: A New Beginning” on September 23 at the Citi Di Mare Grounds at South Road Properties, Cebu City. Former Star Magic talent and 2NE1 member Sandara Park is the headliner of the six-act line-up that consists of idol groups VIVIZ, AB6IX, YOUNITE, and dance groups 1MILLION and MB Crew.

According to Kim, Park was slated to perform in an August 11 event at the Mall of Asia Arena, which would have made her unavailable to be in Cebu the following month. When that was cancelled, the Korean star agreed to be part of “Awake.”

Mounting “Awake” in Cebu will allow K-pop fans here and in the rest of Visayas and Mindanao to have a better chance of seeing their favorites in the flesh.

“We are positive that this is going to be a success. Before, people would usually go all the way to Manila to see K-pop groups. Now fans from Visayas and Mindanao would not need to go to Manila anymore because they can just come here in Cebu,” MARK Production Manager Kit Bajar said.

Organizers hope to hold more K-pop concerts in Cebu. “We will do our best to open up more K-pop events here and do our best to advertise and influence more of K-pop here,” said Kim.

Creative Director Alco Guerrero added, “We get the opportunity to work with a lot of people in the K-pop industry which as we know is a global leader when it comes to pop invasion. We are excited because MARK is quite generous when it comes to getting new ideas, which is something we want to reinforce in local entertainment, particularly in Cebu.”

Ticket prices start at P4,300 for Silver patrons, P7,550 for Gold, and 8,600 for SVIP.

Drop 01 - Hip-Hop Club party

MARK’s second event is “Drop 01 Cebu”, a hip-hop club party on October 6 at the Grand Ballroom of Waterfront in Lahug, Cebu City. Rappers Nik Makino, Al James, and Ex Battalion member Flow G will headline the event with Cebuano rappers Dave Dela Cruz, Mistah Lefty, Sadd Rhy, with DJs Kate Jagdon, Juan Pablo and Mac G as supporting acts.

“I want to sort of play with the idea that it’s a music festival, but not call it a music fest. Instead, it’s a straight-up party. There are beats all night non-stop. A lot of performers are intertwined with the whole party set. After one performer, tuloy tuloy lang tayo because you can’t miss the whole party,” Guerrero said.

It was important for the organizers to have rappers from Manila and Cebu perform together as they wanted them on equal footing. “I want this to be a party set-up with a lot of acts. We really insisted on adding local acts in hopes we no longer call them as local acts, but as Filipino acts,” Guerrero further said.

The Cebuano rappers thanked MARK Entertainment for giving them a platform to promote the Cebu rap scene. Dela Cruz said, “Aside from playing our music along with the big names, we are going to be part of history with MARK Entertainment. This is their first time, yet it feels prestigious to be part of this. What excites me is that they gave local acts a chance. We are trying to push Bisaya music to a different, higher level.”

Ticket prices for “Drop 01 Cebu”, inclusive of drinks, are P2,000 for Patron, P3,000 for VIP, and P60,000 for SVIP good for eight people. These can be purchased via SM Tickets and at the Waterfront lobby.